After Manchester Wahhabi militants target Baghdad Shia neighbourhood

SHAFAQNA – While it is unlikely mainstream will look at both attacks: that of Manchester (UK) and Baghdad (Iraq) as the expression as the same vengeful narrative of sectarian exclusion and hate, our duty lies in speaking those truths few are willing to hear.

Might it be in the streets of western capitals or a middle eastern market, terror follows the same agenda, the same hateful architecture, the same venom … Terror today has become the voice of Wahhabism and it threatens all peace-loving communities – beyond all manners of differences, since it is their differences that make them a target.

Born in the sands of Nejd desert (Saudi Arabia) at the turn of the 18th century, Wahhabism is but the latest manifestation of a fascist ideology, which, since time immemorial has exploited faith as a weapon of war to assert its own power over man. History bears witness of such aberration. How many books have our historians written on those tyrants, who, out of hunger for absolute power wielded the Word of God in anger and in blood calling their crusades righteousness and necessary?

How many times have we sworn: never again?!

And yet … here we are, staring down at a dangerous precipice oblivious to the dangers we have allowed into our lives. Wahhabism we must now realise sits at the root of this evil: radicalism, that has claimed the lives of countless innocent lives, and torn communities apart.

But rather than direct our anger at those parties who seek our demise it is against one another we have stood, for we have failed to name the evil in our midst. Factions have used our differences to argue divisions and enmities and we have answered such attacks with fear and suspicion … but not against those promoters of hate but each other.

Our differences are our collective strength. Can we not see in our disimilarities our common need for acceptance? I would say that a case could be made for tolerance, since tolerance is a reflection of our individualism and right to choose.

Wahhabism ambitions to evaporate individualism so that absolutism could reign king … and yet our officials see fit to entertain its ideologues so “jobs” could be created.

What happened in Manchester Arena is no different than the terrible attack on Baghdad this May 30th. The real tragedy is our inability to understand it.

A life claimed by Terror is one life too many … geography, ethnicity and creed should not matter. Our greatest shame is that we make it matter.

Our greatest shame is that we entertain Terror’s paradigm while thinking ourselves above it. Only when will we look at all victims of Terror on equal footing can we say to have risen above the hatred of terrorism.

Wahhabism is Terror!

How many today have spoken against it? How many have taken actions against it? How many of our governments can say to have done everything in their power to defeat its ideology? I fear we may not like the answers to those questions … and yet we ought to ask.